Ahead of their UK November Friend Of A Phantom tour, Danish-Swedish quartet Vola issue a “pulverising” new single, in ‘Cannibal’, that features In Flames’ Anders Fridén on vocals
Talking about the song, the band commented: “Vola‘s music is heavily shaped by melodic death metal, so having Anders Fridén from the legendary In Flames featured on ‘Cannibal’ is a dream come true for us. We feel truly fortunate and are enormously proud of the result.”
Explaining how he got involved, Fridén said, “I have been a fan of Vola since their first album. They are constantly evolving and, to me, are one of the most interesting bands out right now.” He continued, “During the recording of our last album, I had the opportunity to meet the band and witness an incredible show at The Troubadour in LA. Cut to a few months later, I was approached if I would be interested in being on a song for their next album. It was a yes without hesitation. It’s an honor to be part of this monster of a song. Bang your head if you know what’s good for you!”
Elaborating on how the collaboration and song came about, Vola said: ” When we toured North America in the fall of 2023, Anders and Björn from In Flames attended our concert at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. They came backstage before the show to chat with us, and it turned out they were big fans of the band. Quite a surreal experience, given that In Flames have played a huge part in forming our musical DNA. When we came home from the tour, we dug deep into recording Friend Of A Phantom, and during that process, we began discussing whether Cannibal would benefit from having guest vocals. We all agreed that having some really powerful screams in there would elevate the song, and having just created a bond with Anders meant that it was the easiest decision in the world to ask him if he wanted to be a part of the track. Anders quickly said yes to participate, and eventually, he both recorded vocals and came to Denmark to shoot the video with us. We were thrilled, to say the least!”
The song marries the euphoric and epic but complex and crushing sound that has become distinctively Vola with a visually stunning video to accompany the song that you can check out here at RAMzine.
“Working with Vertigo and Riivata Visuals on the music video was incredible,” Vola commented. “We filmed the video in a gigantic hall in Denmark, with plenty of big lights and lasers, including a large triangle light at the back of the hall. To top it all off, Anders came to Denmark to join us and be part of the video. It was a fantastic experience, and the footage captured the heavy side of Vola in its essence.”
It has been three years since the release of Vold‘s Witness album. It was a sonic assault that captured their signature blend of labyrinthine narratives with crushing riffs, elements of tech-metal, progressive alt-rock, electronica, and stadium-sized choruses.
They’ve since wrapped up two tours of the US with several venues upgraded due to overwhelming demand, as well as sold-out shows in New York, Chicago and the iconic Troubadour in Los Angeles, where the band struck up their friendship with In Flames‘ Anders Fridén. Their first tour of Canada resulted in sold-out shows in Toronto and Montreal, and they rounded off the continent with triumphant South American shows in Mexico, Brazil, and a sold-out show in Chile.
The band – featuring Asger Mygind (vocals/guitar), Martin Werner (keyboards), Nicolai Mogensen (bass), and Adam Janzi (drums) – are now, ready to set free their fourth studio album due for release on 1st Novembr.
Talking about their evolution, Janzi said. “We have had the time to internalise Witness and let its aftermath sink in, which has shaped how we approached Friend Of A Phantom. Our personal tastes have changed, the way we approach our instruments and songwriting has changed, our lives have changed, time has passed, and adventures have been had. Whatever piece of melancholy that Witness had, has just grown and become a central part of this new album. I feel that Vola has grown and reached a new moment in its life, maturing.”
Available digitally, you can check out the video for ‘I Don’t Know How We Got Here’ as well as previous single ‘Break My Lying Tongue’ here at RAMzine.
Last year they released the first taster of new material when they dropped ‘Paper Wolf’. Talking about the song, Mygind offered, “We never put boundaries on our songwriting but merely search for a direction that feels unexplored and exciting to us. With ‘Paper Wolf’, we suddenly found ourselves in a territory where an old-school metal atmosphere crept into our blend of sounds. We liked what we heard and then ran with it at full speed.”
‘Cannibal’ kicks off Friend Of A Phantom. Featuring In Flames’ Anders Fridén on vocals, it plants a marker in the ground for what you’re about to experience as the album navigates around the hypnotically ethereal ‘We Will Not Disband’ through to ‘Hollow Kid’, with Mogensen “Frankenstein riff,” as he explained, “I wanted to blend the essence of Metallica‘s ‘Enter Sandman’ with the low tuning and polyrhythms of Meshuggah. The song’s intro riff was the result, and it inspired the rest of the track.”
Vola has been one of Europe’s most exciting metal bands in recent years, catapulting them onto the international stage. They’ve become a formidable live draw that has seen them also tour with Devin Townsend – including playing the Royal Albert Hall London; they’ve opened for Evanescence and played festivals such as ArcTanGent (UK), Graspop (Belgium), Tuska (Finland), Roskilde (Denmark), Copenhell (Denmark), CL Prog (Chile) and more.
Talking about the touring, Janzi opened up: “It is very tough with all the travelling, short nights, and intense work. But it is so rewarding! Playing music, meeting nice people from all over the world, and seeing these places. Culture is important!”
Known for their innovative approach to progressive metal, the pressure doesn’t consume Vola. “There is always the pressure of continuing to climb the mountain,” reflected Janzi. “Embracing change and whatever new chapters may wait around the corner is a way to make life more enjoyable.”
You can order Friend Of A Phantom here. UK tour tickets are available here.
